What is ihram and how is it worn? A step-by-step ihram guide

What is ihram?

Ihram means making the intention for Umrah or Hajj and reciting the talbiyah, thereby temporarily forbidding yourself certain things that are normally allowed. The word literally means “to make forbidden”. In everyday speech, the clothing worn during this time is also called ihram. For men, ihram is two pieces of unstitched cloth called the izar and the rida. There is no special dress for women: they wear plain everyday clothes that cover the body, leaving the face and hands uncovered.

While in ihram, everything that signals status, rank or wealth is left behind. Everyone stands around the Kaaba in the same simple clothes.

How do you enter ihram?

According to the Hanafi school, two things are needed to enter ihram: the intention and the talbiyah. Deciding in your heart to perform Umrah is the intention, and it is better to say it aloud as well. The talbiyah is then recited:

Lebbeyk Allâhümme lebbeyk, lebbeyke lâ şerîke leke lebbeyk. İnne’l-hamde ve’n-ni’mete leke ve’l-mülk, lâ şerîke lek.

Saying the talbiyah aloud once is enough; repeating it is sunnah. It is sunnah for men to raise their voices when reciting the talbiyah. Women do not recite louder than the person next to them can hear. According to the Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali schools, the only condition of ihram is the intention, and the talbiyah is sunnah.

Simply putting on the ihram cloths does not make a person muhrim (in the state of ihram). The ihram restrictions begin with the intention and the talbiyah. So you can put the cloths on at home or at the airport and make the intention later, before reaching the miqat boundary.

How do you prepare before entering ihram?

Applying perfume, cutting nails and wearing stitched clothes are forbidden once you have entered ihram, so the preparation is finished before them:

• Personal grooming: Cut your nails, shorten your hair if you wish, and wash. You cannot do these once you have entered ihram.
• Ghusl: It is sunnah to take a full ritual bath before ihram. If you cannot, wudu is enough.
• Perfume: After ghusl you may apply a pleasant scent to your body. Take care that the scent does not get onto the ihram cloths.
• Ihram prayer: If it is not a disliked time for prayer, it is sunnah to pray two rak’ahs of the ihram prayer. You can pray it in the airport prayer room after putting on the ihram cloths.

How is ihram worn?

Men wear two pieces of unstitched cloth: the izar, which covers the body from the waist down, and the rida, which covers the shoulders. There is no special ihram dress for women.

Step by step for men

• Fasten the izar: Wrap the cloth around your waist and secure it by folding the top edge inwards or with an ihram belt. It should be tight enough not to come undone as you walk.
• Put on the rida: Drape the second cloth over both shoulders. During the Umrah tawaf you leave your right shoulder uncovered. This is called idtiba. When the tawaf is over, you cover your right shoulder again.
• Choose your footwear: Men do not wear socks or shoes in ihram. You may wear slippers or sandals with a back strap that do not fully cover the top of the foot and the heel.

Do not confuse idtiba with raml. Raml is when men walk briskly in short steps, slightly swinging their shoulders, during the first three circuits of the Umrah tawaf. Idtiba lasts throughout all seven circuits of the tawaf.

For women

Loose, plain everyday clothes that cover the body are worn. Women may wear socks and shoes. The face stays uncovered. It is forbidden for a woman in ihram to cover her face with something like a veil. Women do not perform idtiba or raml.

What are the ihram restrictions?

The ihram restrictions begin the moment you make the intention and recite the talbiyah, and end when your Umrah is complete and you have had your hair cut.

• For everyone: Sexual intercourse and anything that leads to it. Cutting or pulling out hair from the head, beard, moustache or body. Cutting nails. Applying perfume to the body or clothing, and using scented soap, shampoo or cream. Hunting land animals. Quarrelling and hurtful speech.
• For men: Wearing stitched garments such as shirts, trousers, underwear and socks. Covering the head with a hat, skullcap or anything else. Wearing shoes that cover the top of the foot and the heel.
• For women: Covering the face with something like a veil.

In addition, in the Haram area of Mecca, for everyone, whether in ihram or not, it is forbidden to pull up plants and trees that grow naturally and to hunt animals.

If you break a restriction, depending on the type and duration of the violation, you must give charity or a sacrificial animal (dam). In such a case, consult your guide or Diyanet’s Alo 190 helpline.

How do you enter ihram on the plane?

If you fly from Turkey to Jeddah, you need to enter ihram on the plane, before passing the miqat. Since Jeddah lies inside the miqat boundary, ihram is not entered there. If you begin your Umrah from Medina, you do not enter ihram on the plane.

The miqat is the boundary that those coming to Mecca for Umrah may not cross without ihram. For flights from Turkey, this boundary is the point level with Juhfah. Someone who passes the miqat without ihram and does not go back to enter ihram owes a sacrificial animal (dam) as a penalty. The crew usually makes an announcement as you approach the miqat. Still, it is safer to act a little early rather than wait for the announcement.

The easiest way for those flying to Jeddah

• Prepare at the airport: Finish ghusl, nails and perfume at home. Put on the ihram cloths in the airport prayer room and, if appropriate, pray the two-rak’ah ihram prayer. Do not make the intention yet. The ihram restrictions do not begin until you do.
• Do not change clothes on the plane: Since your cloths are already on, all you need to do on the plane is make the intention and recite the talbiyah.
• Make the intention before the miqat: As you approach the miqat, make the intention for Umrah and recite the talbiyah. You are now in ihram.

Since women travel in their everyday clothes, on the plane they only make the intention and recite the talbiyah.

For those going to Medina first

Medina lies outside the miqat boundary. If you begin your Umrah from Medina, you fly from Turkey without ihram and enter ihram on the way from Medina to Mecca, before reaching the Dhul Hulaifah miqat (today known as Abyar Ali). Since the high-speed train has no stop at the miqat, if you are going by train, enter ihram in Medina before boarding.

Can you use the toilet while in ihram?

Yes. There is no problem with using the toilet and performing wudu while in ihram. There are two things to watch out for:

• Unscented soap: Do not use scented soap or scented wet wipes. Take an unscented soap with you.
• Gather the izar: Before going into the toilet, pull the izar up a little above the fold at the waist so that it does not touch the floor.

Can a woman who is menstruating enter ihram?

Yes. A woman who is menstruating takes ghusl and enters ihram by making the intention and reciting the talbiyah, but does not pray the ihram prayer. She cannot perform the tawaf until she is clean. After she becomes clean, she completes her Umrah by performing the tawaf and sa’y.

How do you leave ihram?

In Umrah, once the tawaf and sa’y are finished, men shave their heads or trim their hair, and women cut a fingertip’s length from the ends of their hair. This takes you out of ihram and the restrictions end.

Plan your Umrah with your own calendar

Ihram, the miqat and the flight plan are linked. Whether you land in Jeddah or Medina also determines where you enter ihram. On Zair you choose your own departure and return dates, how many nights you stay in Medina and Mecca, how far your hotel is from the Haram on foot, and the time of the high-speed train between the cities. We take care of the visa and transfers, and you focus on your worship.